That should sit well with Sullivan. During an interview with Paul Allen of KFAN on Monday, Sullivan said it was “pretty clear” that he was out of the play when Suh blocked him. Suh said that he wasn’t trying to hit Sullivan, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee in the offseason, but Sullivan said that Suh’s history should factor into any determination of punishment.

“I don’t think he was trying to hurt me,” Sullivan said. “But there need to be consequences when guys don’t respect the careers of other players.”

We’re inclined to agree with Sullivan. A player’s past history should be part of the calculation when coming up with punishment for an illegal hit and players with a lengthy history of crossing the line should be punished more severely as a result.

We should find out if the league agrees with that take in the coming days.

99 Responses to “John Sullivan: There need to be consequences for not respecting other players’ careers”

All-American Voltron says:Sep 9, 2013 1:00 PM

I agree, like Clay Matthews clothesline of Colin Koepernick six feet out of bounds.

blackandbluedivision says:Sep 9, 2013 1:02 PM

(depending on intent and the nature of the hit)
The player who caused the hit should donate to the injured players salary for however long they are out. If they have to retire then they still pay for as long as the offending player is in the game. (a considerable less sum. But, still.)

Dude – do NOT use the “I was out of the play anyway” defense! If you were out of the play, then STOP RUNNING AND TRYING TO CATCH THE BALLCARRIER.

If you are supposed to hustle and try to play the play out, then Suh also has the moral obligation of also playing the play out and blocking you from the play!

Complain abuot the angle of the block or the way Suh did it all you want. It was an illegal block and he will be fined for it. But do NOT use the horrible “it doesn’t matter, I was out of the play anyway, so why was he even bothering to try” argument… it’s extremely hypocritical.

purpleguy says:Sep 9, 2013 1:05 PM

You know, if Suh was gonna add to his collection of cheap shots, couldn’t he have at least done it to our starting QB?

I watched the hit and I didn’t even think of him being suspended. He went for the same block I’ve seen a million times and I’ve seen it botched like that a million times. If it were anyone else, no one would care. But when the crowd gathers outside Frankenstein’s with torches and pitchforks, salivating at the thought of laying sweet, sweet judgment, logic doesn’t matter. He’s the devil! GET HIM!

He tried to lay a waist block and botched it for the same reason most defensive linemen botch it-they’re huge and awkward and it’s not their area of expertise.

Clay Mathews tries to behead a guy yesterday and it’s cool. He’s a marketing darling, we even throw matching flags to give him a break. Suh has no real incidents in two years but the haters and media are waiting for this.

Matthews shot was unsportsmanlike, thats a penalty, Suh’s shot was a blow to the knees of a defenseless player.

Stop trying to defend one of the dirtiest players in the game.

simplesimon1 says:Sep 9, 2013 1:15 PM

I agree with Sullivan 100%, except for one thing.

The repeat offender idea is a bit much. Suh stomped a guy and had bad preseason hits vs Delhomme and Dalton. Last years mistaken kick was nothing.

So how do we determine repeat offender when he isn’t held to the same ideals as everybody else in football? Yesterday was the first game in history where that was an illegal hit. A repeat offender has done these chop blocks many times over. Other types of things from 2 years ago don’t count. He’s never been a repeat offender against chop blocks.

Period, what Clay Matthews and Pouncey’s teammates did yesterday was way worse.

Note also that aside from the mentioned hits above, the NFL has created the myth of Suh being dirty by constantly treating him different when, in fact, he is doing nothing differe3nt than anybody else. He’s been clean since the stomp. This is simply the Suh rule…it only applies to him.

Shocker that $50,000 fines don’t deter guys with $50,000,000. Fines should be proportionate to earnings or else it’s just ridiculous and senseless.

kennyrogerschicken says:Sep 9, 2013 1:17 PM

lks311 says:
Sep 9, 2013 1:06 PM
Amazing how much ink dedicated to a play within the white lines (Suh’s) and how little to one outside them (Matthew’s).

—————-

Not really – Suh has the history of dirty plays so its not surprising he’s the focal point instead of Mathews.

bordner says:Sep 9, 2013 1:18 PM

lks311 says:
Sep 9, 2013 1:06 PM

Amazing how much ink dedicated to a play within the white lines (Suh’s) and how little to one outside them (Matthew’s).
—————————–
There’s actually a lot of ink on the Matthews hit, but most of it’s coming from comments from the whiny Niner fans. And the typical comments we’ve come to expect from viking fans and other Packer haters.

simplesimon1 says:Sep 9, 2013 1:19 PM

@redfield:

“Matthews shot was unsportsmanlike, thats a penalty, Suh’s shot was a blow to the knees of a defenseless player”

Bull…. Matthews continued afterward and threw at least 2 punches at a guy not even fighting back. But he’s one of the NFL’s Golden Children so no big deal.

NFL simply needs a bad guy. The block was stupid but the rule changed this year. It wasn’t even a penalty last year. These blocks happen all the time on nearly every play. It’s only a deal because Suh did it.

cptkickurass says:Sep 9, 2013 1:20 PM

isphet71 says:Sep 9, 2013 1:05 PM

Dude – do NOT use the “I was out of the play anyway” defense! If you were out of the play, then STOP RUNNING AND TRYING TO CATCH THE BALLCARRIER.

If you are supposed to hustle and try to play the play out, then Suh also has the moral obligation of also playing the play out and blocking you from the play!

Complain abuot the angle of the block or the way Suh did it all you want. It was an illegal block and he will be fined for it. But do NOT use the horrible “it doesn’t matter, I was out of the play anyway, so why was he even bothering to try” argument… it’s extremely hypocritical.

…………………………………………….

Don’t you think you saying Suh as ANY morals is also extremely hypocritical?? Quit your crying, by NFL rules his block was illegal, yet not surprising considering it was him.

wdnemesis says:Sep 9, 2013 1:21 PM

That block was not needed Sullivan clearly was too far to catch the ball carrier. Suh should of been aware of that.

ingloriousbastardos says:Sep 9, 2013 1:22 PM

It’s only a matter of time before someone files assault charges and then the whole thing will change. There is a degree of agreed liability that is part of the game but there has to still be an area of criminal or civil intent. If you could prove intent (which is what a pattern of behavior does) then he might be liable for damages to that person’s “business”. At the very least it is reckless practice of one’s profession which creates liability in most other lines of work.

elliottcovert says:Sep 9, 2013 1:22 PM

As a Vikings fan, I have to say that I can see why Suh is getting so much more press than Matthews this week. I see two main reasons.

First, having watched the Niners-Packers game, from alternative camera angles it looked pretty clear that Matthews had launched himself at Kaepernick before Kap was fully out of bounds.

Second, the history of each player does matter a lot. Suh has a reputation for being a dirty player (Evan Dietrich-Smith, Matt Schaub, now John Sullivan). Matthews does not. People are generally more willing to give someone without a history of dirty plays the benefit of the doubt, rightly or wrongly.

So, although I’m open to arguments that Matthews hit was equally as condemnable as Suh’s, it does seem to me that Suh’s actions are another link in a long chain of historically dirty play.

theboondoggles says:Sep 9, 2013 1:23 PM

I’m a Lions fan and generally roll my eyes at all the stomp/crotchshot comments, but this was just a stupid, stupid move. This isn’t even acceptable from a rookie, let alone a team captain. If it retaliation, you find a less obvious way to get back at the guy.

Bottom line for me:
Suh cost my team six points.
Suh cost my team additional yardage via actions AWAY FROM THE BALL.
Suh perpetuated a view of the Lions that colors how refs call games and how teams game plan.

While I view the erasure of the TD as pretty serious punishment, I don’t think a suspension is necessary. More likely, a hefty fine is in order; however, I won’t be shocked if Suh gets both.

uscoach says:Sep 9, 2013 1:25 PM

Somebody is going to take Suh out at some point. Nobody wants to get suspended and/or fined, but it will be worth it to someone.

Suh’s hit was cheap. He went right for Sullivan’s injured knee. On an unrelated topic, Minnesota will be lucky to win 4 games with Ponder at the helm. It’s terrible that AP is wasting his prime. Only Ponder could hold Jennings to 3 catches. Ponder isn’t an NFL caliber starter just like TJack wasn’t either.

pftfan says:Sep 9, 2013 1:27 PM

In all honesty, when will they finally get around to drug-testing Clay Matthews?

He’s starting to approach Canseco-in-the-90’s levels of disproportionately cartoonish physique. The NFL is headed for an MLB-style PED blowup if they don’t address it soon enough from their marquee players.

It seems across the board most sensible players and fans agree that a suspension is warranted. And any fan who’s watched enough football knows Suh’s history, that being said as one poster noted earlier a 2 game suspension without pay would be fitting. I for one can’t stand dirty players and the league has quite a few that they need to reel in…

I am a Lions fan and honestly the block was absolutely not needed and was dangerous. I completely understand if the NFL cracks down on Suh and Detroit. They should also crack down on the head coach as this team continues to rack up bad penalties and finds themselves defending the dirty play constantly. Schwartz coached under Jeff Fisher for quite awhile and that is another coach that likes the “edgy” borderline dirty play.

Huge difference hear is that Mathews generally does not make illegal hits, though he certainly did in the 49ers game. Suh is constantly making questionable hits. I am not a Suh fan at all, nor am I a Lions fan however, the one thing that Mathews and Suh have in common is that they are 2 very physical players, the main difference is other than Mathews hit yesterday, he knows where the line is as far as being illegal and dangerous as compared to being all out dirty. Suh….. not so much…..

About twelve years ago on a very similar play Warren Sapp took a cheap shot on Chad Clifton who was on the opposite side of the field away from the play. This blind sided hit finished Clifton’s season and nearly finished his career. Warren Sapp wasn’t fined or suspended but was rewarded with a spot in the HOF and a television career afterward. Another NFL double standard.

it was dumb play and the block not executed well…he was penalized AND they had a pick-six erased….get over it already. The suspension and banishment talk is a joke.

hyzers says:Sep 9, 2013 1:54 PM

All the butthurt Vikings fans and teams next up on the Lions schedule are begging for a draconian suspension for a block in the thigh. Maybe Sullivan shouldn’t have been running as fast as he could to tackle Levy making a pick 6!

ty46 says:Sep 9, 2013 1:57 PM

Why is no one asking the obvious?

If Suh is punished, how were the hits on Dustin Keller and Kevin Williams legal?

anarchopurplism says:Sep 9, 2013 1:57 PM

lks311 says:
Sep 9, 2013 1:06 PM
Amazing how much ink dedicated to a play within the white lines (Suh’s) and how little to one outside them (Matthew’s).

**************************************************

Both hits were cheap shots.

Suh’s hit could
1- End a man’s career
2- was FAR away from the action. Suh’s teammate was about to step in the end zone.

Mathews hit was stupid, but it looked worse than it was. How many times do you see a guy launch himself as a QB is about to step out? It was stupid & cheap…….but not anywhere near how dirty Suh’s hit was.

As the game announcers pointed out, up until this season this kind of block was legal. Suh’s guilty of violating the new rule during week 1. That happens.

The league said they’re going to come down hard on these rule violations. Suh should expect a fine big enough to get everyone’s attention.

Some of the comments make it sound like Suh ended Sullivan’s career. Nobody got injured.

This “in the play/out of the play” stuff is nonsense. How many of the people commenting on this story have actually played football on any level? Back as a high school freshman, as a 14 year old, I was taught by the older guys (not the coaches) that when there’s a turnover you lay a hit on offensive the guy you’ve been facing. You make sure to hit him no matter where the play is on the field. You make sure to take a little of the starch out of his pants. That’s football! Everyone does it. This ain’t soccer. This is a contact sport.

These two teams will play each other again later this year. By making a big fuss today, the Vikings are playing the media like a Clapton plays a Strat.

Like ruining A.P’s career by leaving in Christian Ponder? One of the best RB’s of all time won’t get a shot at a ring with a 3rd string QB starting every year.

Now that’s not respecting someone’s career.

vikesfan22 says:Sep 9, 2013 2:14 PM

The Lions fans that are defending Suh are a bunch of toothless idiots. There was no way in hell Sullivan was going to catch Levy (Deion in his prime wouldn’t have caught him from where he was). I am sure Levy wasn’t pleased with his cheap hit. He went blindsided at the knee, a blatant attack of the dudes career. I like Suh as a player, but he’s a punk idiot.

Sheesh! Sullivan (Yes we share the same name) was approx 5 yards behind Levy at contact and not “completely out of the play”…. Likely out of the play sure, but you leave nothing to question on the field. If you think you can lay a block in that situation, you do it. Suh thought he could lay a legal block and threw it. He was wrong and it cost his team a touchdown.

Was he attempting to hurt or cheap shot the guy? Sullivan himself doesn’t seem to think so. Was he intentionally attempting to throw an illegal block? That doesn’t seem likely.

mickmars says:Sep 9, 2013 2:22 PM

Glad to see that there are sensible Lions fans here. Guy is a cheap shot artist,plain and simple. When Karma does catch up to him and someone chops Suh’s knee to shreds, maybe that’ll get the message across to the cement head. It’s a shame, because he doesn’t need to be that way,because he’s immensely talented regardless.

For big ol’ football players, they sure do whine quite a bit. He hits too high, “oh my head”, he hits too low, “oh my knees”. Your getting hit in football one way or the other. Pay attention and make him miss that low block. End your career? Please child. Assumption of the risk. This is football. You don’t want to play hard and risk injury, go on NFL network or Fox or “that other pre-game show”. You earn enough…plus you’ll be suing the NFL in 15 years anyway claiming they made you brain dead. I will trade spots with you in a heartbeat.

seals1 says:Sep 9, 2013 2:28 PM

Suh has always been a pile of garbage every since his days in Lincoln. Great player, terrible sportsman. Captain,,,,,,,,that is priceless.

Everyone that tells you how great a person he is off the field is just scared of him.

If Suh was not a NFL player he would be Sug Night.

johnelwayishorsefaced says:Sep 9, 2013 2:29 PM

It’s funny how much some of you hate Suh but here’s the only statistic that counts: Lions 34 Vikings 24.
Where’s purpleguy today?

The piling on of Suh is a good reason not to take history into account. I’m guessing Clay Mathews hasn’t begun a “history” and his next penalty won’t be considered a “pattern”, yet he LAUNCHED himself out-of-bounds at a QB after announcing it the prior week!!!

not defennding matthews, but SUH has a hidtory of dirty cheap shots as where matthews doesnt.to me matthews was jacked up after being butthurt losing to the 49ers in playoffs last year . SUH just doesnt get it , maybe he will get it when someone tries to take his knees out! he is in the area now where he is gonna be a liability for the lions instead of an asset where he is hurting his team with penalty’s and suspension time.

Just about nobody respects the career of Christian Ponder and yet he continues to play, much to the benefit of the other teams he is playing against.

Ok, it was a penalty and that should make Sullivan happy. But the Vikings record over the next 15 games is not going to anybody in Minneapolis very happy. So complaining about the other team is just a smoke screen.

lloydchristmas1 says:Sep 9, 2013 3:23 PM

It WAS a cheap shot to Sullivans knee…he could have easily just knocked him down with a shoulder or just pushed him to the side.

Why is everyone whining like Matthews dive tackle out of bounds is the dirtiest play in history? Give me a break! There have been far worse plays in the past year that warrant more attention, but this seems to be like he nearly cut his head off. If there hadn’t been talk of hitting him, it would have been like the Geno Smith hit out of bounds. 15 yards, and been called a bonehead. Instead, Matthews is the 2nd dirtiest player in the NFL. Get a life haters. There wasn’t this much press for what Warren Sapp did to Chad Clifton on a Favre int where he blindsided a man, who wasn’t running, and he dislocated his hip. Yet everyone loves to watch him on NFL network on Sunday’s. OR what about some of the hits LT put on people. You guys have become so team loyal, and blind hatred for opponents that you sound literally like you’ve seen your first game of football every week!

simplesimon1 says:Sep 9, 2013 3:47 PM

deltaoracle:

“It WAS a cheap shot to Sullivans knee…he could have easily just knocked him down with a shoulder or just pushed him to the side”

First, Suh specifically said he tried to go at the waist and looking at the replay it seems reasonable. His head began at the waist and in front of him. He also said he only went low because he was actually trying to avoid hitting the head and getting fined….LOL…I guess next time, knock him right out.

I have commented on here a few times already. The problem isn’t that it was a dirty play. Was it unnecessary, absolutely, but in football you’re taught to hit the guy closest if you have a shot at him. That’s why QB’s always get unnecessarily crushed after an INT. The real problem is that it was Suh….Honestly, that is the only conclusion one can come to. Suh has a completely different set of guidelines than anybody else in the league.

Look at it this way. If people come out and say somebody is dirty, as has happened for a long time now with Suh (and rightfully so after the stomp and head twists of Delhomme and late shot on alton), then they get labeled a repeat offender. Then, everytime you hear about a guy you’re hearing about the one penalty they took, not the great game played otherwise. As an example, the preseason game vs Cleveland where even the most honest and simple of hits became a conversation of whether it was dirty…LOL

Now, they’ve actually created this myth about Suh being dirty by non-stop talking about it. The only plays before yesterday’s low block (which by the way, was only a penalty starting this year) was the ones I mentioned. All the other penalties were the result of Suh being watched like a hawk for any and all mistakes. He’s now not handled the same as any other player. So, when he gets a penalty, they simply chalk it up to the fact that even though it’s not a bad hit, the fact of Suh’s past means he won’t get the benefit of the doubt. But, it’s because of “not getting the benefit of the doubt” which causes the excess of penalties to begin with. So you have a cyclical situation where he’s targeted for the simplest of things, even when it’s completely legal, and that ups the amount of penaltes he has, which, in turn, is used as ammunition for more penalties.

orivar says:
Sep 9, 2013 1:04 PM
I don’t get the nature of the statement when the beginning of what he said conflicts the entire statement and the situation that brought it up to begin with.

——————

Whhhhhhaaaaaa? Thanks for clearing that up…

I’m for progressive fines, suspensions & banishment from the league for individual players. I ain’t no flag football proponent here, but players have to respect the careers of their fellow players, aka Dustin Keller. Its simply a matter of being ‘professional’. Enough of the dirty &/or mindless hits. You can be edgy & tough without being irresponsible & stupid in your technique. What is this 1934?

rmc1995 says:Sep 9, 2013 3:50 PM

Suh is the most ineffective cheap shot artist in the league. Not one player has missed as much as a play for any of his hits. Yet opposing players want him to receive consequences. Save for AD’s first run, the Vikings line was destroyed by Suh et al. Of course they want him to gave consequences.

If going at knees is a career ending hit, then I’m sure olineman will stop cut blocking away from the play. The hypocrisy is thick when an olineman says going at knees is cheap, and those who agree are as naive as a three year old.

simplesimon1 says:Sep 9, 2013 3:52 PM

@bgrillz

“Why is everyone whining like Matthews dive tackle out of bounds is the dirtiest play in history? Give me a break! There have been far worse plays in the past year that warrant more attention, but this seems to be like he nearly cut his head off”

Well, when people stop calling for the pitchforks after every little thing Suh does, I guess we won’t use actual dirty plays, when he personally premeditated it weeks ago, to compare. If Suh had done that and Matthews what Suh did (in other words reversed) Suh would already be suspended for at least 4 games and we wouldn’t have even seen the Matthews play. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprized if it was called at all. That’s the reason forthe conversation. It also doesn’t help his case that after he did what he did, he punched a guy in the head a few times for good measure.

I like how so many of you say that Clay Matthews doesn’t have a history of dirty plays. Wanna look at his history and tell me how many personal fouls he has for roughing the passer? He basically states that the Packers want to take out the 49ers QB, and then hits him out of bounds, and launches himself at his head. Right. Sounds like a clean cut American boy to me…..NOT! And let’s not talk about the punches he threw afterward that never got flagged. Not only should GB have been penalized twice, but Matthews should have gotten an automatic ejection for the punching.

Watch any Lions game and see how often Suh gets held, punched and gets his knees taken out. If any of you have an open mind, you’ll do that and find that he has a LOT more to complain about than John ‘Cry Baby’ Sullivan. I saw multiple times yesterday during games where hits like this were made, and not penalized. I saw multiple times when running backs were leading with the crown of their helmets when they got into the secondary, and they weren’t flagged.

And let’s not forget, that on two occasions where Suh was flaggd for dirty plays (Cutler and Marion Barber ‘horse collar’ tackle), those plays actually were legal. The hit on Cutler wasn’t illegal, and the tackle of Barber wasn’t a horse collar. But this two faced league, much like the WWE, needs their villains. And Suh is the convenient villain, week in and week out.

billbrasky72 says:Sep 9, 2013 4:12 PM

Don’t really understand why people keep talking about Clay Matthews in this article. Anyhow, I guess I will too. Sure, it was a stupid move but it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as what Suh did. Had the Matthews hit been in-bounds, it would have been perfectly legal and no more dangerous than any other tackle made in the NFL yesterday. Suh’s block could very easily ended Sullivan’s career.

deltaoracle says:Sep 9, 2013 4:17 PM

Simplesimon – fine, my only point was that there’s been a good deal of condemnation of Matthews as well. Which I think is deserved, btw.

I worked on a small professional wrestling circuit when I was a younger man. Most of us realized we were entertainers working on the same team. This resulted in an unwritten, but strictly enforced rule.

You cause an injury which prevents someone from performing, you pay split your salary with him until he’s back in the ring.

The NFL can easily quantify the monetary consequences to Sullivan as use that as a guideline for penalizing Suh.

The FACT is that Suh coulda laid that same EXACT block last year and it would of been a LEGAL block. You people are acting like this is Suh being a db again, and while he may or may not be a db, it was the first game in his time playing football(what 10 years?) that this was illegal. Give the guys a break how can you reprogram in less that one half of football. Id be surprised to not see this every week, and if not, it will be because of a Suh suspension and he’ll be the example.

anybody who says that Suh should be suspended for more than one game if at all is an idiot and obviously doesn’t know anything about football, it’s a brand new rule and there should be a little bit of leeway for the players to adjust… its amazong that D. Kellers career is probably over but the guy who hit him (it was dirty no matter the legality) gets no attention for his hit but Suh does something that isn’t even that bad and was legal 8 months ago and you sallys say he should be suspended for life… go watch soccer or ping pong you bums

This is by far not as bad as that play where Sapp ruined that packer players career. THAT was being out of the play, unlike Sullivan.

granadafan says:Sep 9, 2013 5:10 PM

Shaking my head at the Detroit small-minded homers who try to deflect the well-deserved attention towards the dirtiest player in the league by claiming that other players were dirty too. Yes, they were dirty and deserved to be punished. Those players have nothing to do with the fact that your favorite player, Suh, did a very dangerous and very dirty hit. He 100% deserves to be punished. Stop trying to defend the undefendable. You’re looking quite foolish.

One of these days, Matthews and Suh will get whats coming to them…a bad ass offensive lineman with a bad attitude will jack them both up..what goes around comes around..

steveb9995 says:Sep 9, 2013 6:15 PM

All you Viqueen fans are just butthurt because your team got beat. Boo hoo. After what I saw yesterday, you better get used to it.

Last season that hit was legal. So, new rule, first game of the season, no injury… Suh won’t get a suspension, because he doesn’t deserve one. In fact, if this was any other player, he wouldn’t even get a fine, and all we’d be hearing is how Roger Goodell is sissifying the league, turning it into flag football, etc. But since it’s Suh…

$(er fan trying to make this all about them. They even complain when they win. There’s no comparison between what Mathews did and what Suh does every week.

vikesfansteve says:Sep 9, 2013 6:28 PM

Suh did cheap shot Ponder a couple of steps after a Ponder roll out up the sidelines. Ref should have called it. Too bad he didn’t paste Ponder and put us all out of our misery. Admit it Spielman. Ponder isn’t progressing like a third year player should.

packhawk04 says:Sep 9, 2013 6:28 PM

All these viking fans making fun of matthews is awesome. He tackled a guy out of bounds. Thats it. They mustve forgot jared allen diving at schaubs knees and eventually hurting him last year. Whats worse viking fans? A tackle or diving at knees?